Learn Hardcore Chinese: Zhè gè wǎngshàng kèchéng de shíjiān hěn héshì, xiàbān yǐhòu jiù néng shàng kè. - The time of this online course is very suitable; you can attend class after work.

个 is a measure word (classifier). In Chinese, you normally can’t put a number or demonstrative (this/that) directly before a noun; you need a measure word in between:

这 + 个 + 课程 = this course
那 + 门 + 课 = that class (using the more specific measure word 门 for courses)

So 这个网上课程 is the natural structure.

You can occasionally see 这网上课程, but it sounds more colloquial/informal and a bit compressed. For most learners, 这个网上课程 is safer and more standard.

Is 个 the correct measure word for 课程? I thought courses use 门.

You’re right that 门 is the specific measure word often taught for courses:

一门课程 (one course)

However, 个 is a general measure word and is very commonly used in speech, even when there is a more specific measure word available. So:

一个课程 is acceptable in everyday speech.
一门课程 sounds a bit more precise or formal, and is often preferred in writing or careful speech.

In this sentence, 这个网上课程 is natural and common. If you said 这门网上课程, that would also be perfectly correct and maybe a bit “neater” from a textbook perspective.

What does 的 do in 网上课程的时间?

的 connects a modifier to what it describes. Here:

网上课程 = online course
网上课程的时间 = the time of the online course / the online course’s time

So the structure is:

[modifier] + 的 + [noun]
网上课程 + 的 + 时间

This pattern is very common:

学校的老师 = the school’s teacher / the teacher of the school
我们的计划 = our plan

Without 的, 网上课程时间 is still understandable but sounds more like a compressed noun phrase, and less natural for a learner. 网上课程的时间 is smooth and standard.

Why is 很 before 合适? Does 很 always mean “very”?

In 时间很合适, 很 has two roles:

Grammatically, it helps connect the subject and an adjective:
- 这门课很有意思。
- 这个菜很好吃。
In natural Chinese, a bare pattern like 时间合适 (without 很) is possible but often sounds like a comparison or a short, emphatic statement. Adding 很 softens it and makes it sound like a neutral description.
Semantically, 很 often means “very”, but in simple descriptive sentences it can be not strongly emphatic. In many contexts, it can feel closer to “quite” or even just mark that an adjective is being used as a predicate.

So 时间很合适 can be interpreted as:

Literally: “The time is very suitable.”
In natural translation: “The time is (really) suitable / fits well.”

What’s the difference between 合适 and 适合? Could I say 时间很适合?

Both 合适 and 适合 relate to “suitable / fitting”, but their grammar is different:

合适 (héshì) is an adjective:
- 时间很合适。= The time is suitable.
- 这件衣服不太合适。= This piece of clothing is not very suitable.
适合 (shìhé) is usually a verb meaning “to suit / to be suitable for”:
- 这个时间适合我。= This time suits me.
- 这门课很适合初学者。= This course really suits beginners.

You normally don’t say 时间很适合 by itself, because 适合 usually needs an object: suitable for what / for whom?

So:

时间很合适 ✅
这个时间很适合我 ✅
时间很适合 ❌ / sounds incomplete.

What does 就 mean in 下班以后就能上课? Can I omit it?

In this sentence, 就 has a “then / as soon as / right away” feeling and adds a sense of promptness or ease:

下班以后就能上课。
→ After work, (then) I can have class right away / I can immediately attend class.

Functions of 就 here:

Shows a quick or direct connection between two events:
- 下班以后就能上课 = As soon as work finishes, I can attend class.
Makes the sentence sound more natural and fluent.

If you omit 就:

下班以后能上课。
This is still correct but sounds a bit more neutral, without highlighting the “immediately/it’s convenient” feeling.

What’s the nuance of 能 here? Could I use 可以 instead?

In 就能上课, 能 expresses ability/possibility in a practical sense:

“I’m able to attend class (because the time works, I’m free then).”

能 often focuses on:

Physical or practical ability
Whether conditions allow it

可以 can also work:

下班以后就可以上课。

可以 often feels like:

Permission (“be allowed to”)
Feasibility (“it’s possible / it’s okay to”)

Difference in nuance (small, and context-dependent):

能上课 = I’m able to attend class (my schedule allows it).
可以上课 = It’s okay / possible for me to attend class (no problem to do so, maybe also implies permission).

In this context, 能 and 可以 are both acceptable. 能 is a bit more about ability / circumstances, which matches “the time is suitable” well.

Why is it 就能上课 and not 就上能课 or something else?

In Chinese, modals like 能 / 可以 / 要 / 会 normally go before the verb they modify:

能 + 上课 = can attend class
会 + 说中文 = can speak Chinese

So the correct order is:

就 + 能 + 上 + 课
(then) + can + attend + class

Patterns like 上能课 or splitting 能 away from the verb are ungrammatical. The basic word order is:

[Time] + 就 + [Modal] + [Verb + Object]
下班以后 + 就 + 能 + 上课

What exactly does 上课 mean here? Is it “go to class” or “have class” or “teach class”?

上课 is a set verb-object phrase that can mean:

Attend / go to class (from a student’s point of view)
Hold / conduct class (from a teacher’s point of view)

Which meaning it has depends on context.

In this sentence:

“After work, (I) can attend class.”

Because we’re talking about “this online course” and “the time is suitable for me after work”, the natural interpretation is that the speaker is a student attending an online class.

Why is there no 我 (“I”) in the sentence? Who is doing the action?

Chinese often omits the subject if it is clear from context. In this sentence, the focus is:

这个网上课程的时间很合适
(The time of this online course is very suitable)

From context (a person talking about a course they want to take), it’s clear that:

下班以后就能上课
= After work, (I) can attend class.

If you want to make the subject explicit, you can say:

下班以后，我就能上课。
After work, I can attend class.

Both versions are correct; the original simply leaves 我 understood.

Why do we say 下班以后 instead of just 下班? Is 以后 necessary?

下班 by itself can sometimes mean “get off work / after work” depending on context, but:

下班以后 literally means “after getting off work” and makes the sequence in time very clear.

Subtle differences:

下班以后就能上课。
→ After work, (then) I can attend class (emphasis on sequence: first off work, then class).
下班就能上课。
→ As soon as I get off work, I can attend class. (More compressed; also natural.)

So 以后 is not strictly necessary, but it:

Emphasizes “after that time”.
Feels slightly more explicit and “textbook-clear” for learners.

Both 下班以后就能上课 and 下班就能上课 are correct.

Can I move 下班以后 to the beginning: 下班以后，我就能上课? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can, and it’s very natural:

下班以后，我就能上课。
下班以后就能上课。

Both are fine. In spoken Chinese, commas often mark pauses more than strict grammar.

General principle: time expressions are usually placed before the verb phrase:

我明天上课。= I have class tomorrow.
下班以后就能上课。= After work, (I) can attend class.

Adding 我 and a comma just makes the subject explicit and adds a slight pause, but doesn’t change the basic meaning.

Is there any difference between 网上课程 and 网课?

网上课程 and 网课 both mean “online course / online class”, but they differ in style:

网上课程
- Literally: “online course”
- Slightly more formal or neutral
- Common in written descriptions, course pages, etc.
网课
- Shortened, colloquial form
- Very common in everyday speech
- Sounds more casual

So you could also say:

这门网课的时间很合适，下班以后就能上课。

For learners, 网上课程 is clear and safe; 网课 is what you’ll hear a lot in conversation.

Is there a simpler or alternative way to say this whole sentence in Chinese?

A few natural variations (all keeping the same basic meaning):

这门网课的时间挺合适的，下班以后我就能上课。
- Uses 网课 and 挺合适的 (“quite suitable”).
这个网上课程的上课时间很合适，下班以后就可以上课。
- Adds 上课时间 (“class time”) to be extra explicit, and uses 可以.
这门网上课程的时间正好，我下班以后就能上。
- Uses 正好 (“just right”) and drops 课 after 上 (common in casual speech).

All of these are natural; they just vary in word choice and level of formality.